


a study in you

by dejakyu (dietsoba)



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Established Relationship, Fluff, Idiots in Love, M/M, Museums
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-23
Updated: 2019-11-23
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:42:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21535405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dietsoba/pseuds/dejakyu
Summary: Jongdae doesn't know much about art, but he's quite certain Junmyeon is a masterpiece.
Relationships: Kim Jongdae | Chen/Kim Junmyeon | Suho
Comments: 12
Kudos: 46





	a study in you

**Author's Note:**

  * For [xiuchenlay](https://archiveofourown.org/users/xiuchenlay/gifts).



> *Not based on any museum in particular but a giant conglomeration of every art museum I’ve been to. Unbeta'd

Jongdae could almost hear the tiny gears in his watch spinning in unison as they pushed the minute hand further and further away from the time he and Junmyeon were designated to meet. The chilly November wind blew through every gap in Jongdae’s clothing without mercy, but it was no match for the cold shakiness brought on by anxiety. Anxiety that was made worse by the barely-audible ticking of his watch, a result of those tiny spinning gears.

Jongdae knew there was no reason for him to be waiting outside in the cold, beneath a sky covered by a blanket of grey clouds, but the crowded subway station was too cramped for the loudness of his anxiety and the warmth too contradictory to the cold weight in his stomach. He needed fresh air to push him through the rest of his wait and the wave of relief that would come once Junmyeon walked up the subway stairs stairs, directly across from where he sat.

Three more turns of the loud second hand on his watch, three minutes of those tiny gears working in unison, three minutes of the cold wind pulling stubborn leaves off the trees behind him, and three more minutes of Jongdae anxiously humming under his breath before the wait was finally over.

Warm relief replaced Jongdae’s anxiety when he recognized Junmyeon’s face, flashing among the other travellers as they scattered in all directions–Jongdae wasn’t going to bother asking if the train was packed, the train coming to this stop from Junmyeon’s apartment near Seoul University was always packed.

It took a moment for Jongdae to get a proper look at Junmyeon who, in Junmyeon fashion, had apparently stepped down to help an old woman with her bag. When he did get his well overdue eyefull, his stomach flipped and he felt warm and fuzzy all over. He could scarcely believe that the man looking frantically around the station entrance was actually searching for him. It was a lot to handle, and he had to take a moment to drink in the sight before interacting. He rather hoped Junmyeon found him before he was forced to relieve him of his frantic search and form a coherent sentence from the get go–not that he wasn’t perfectly capable of doing so, it just took effort.

Jongdae focused instead on Junmyeon’s look. Today, he wore his glasses, which framed his eyes perfectly and didn’t disturb the art that were his eyebrows. His brown hair was silky and styled back, though Jongdae suspected the wind was responsible for the windswept sweep to it. A long, stylish peacoat with a wool scarf over a turtleneck, fitted slacks, and boots completed the rest of his look. It was somewhere between art ho and college dreamboat according to Sehun, who knew a lot more about fashion than Jongdae ever would. At the very least, he wasn’t dressed like a suburban dad.

Jongdae pulled out his phone to snap a candid photo, capturing the look in a single image. To Jongdae, Junmyeon was living art, pure and simple. The sight of him took his breath away and probably always would, his clothes only served to accent the true piece beneath it.

“Looking for me?” Jongdae asked, finally approaching Junmyeon after an agonizing minute of waiting in plain sight. He was shocked Junmyeon hadn’t spotted him, but the way his face brightened at the sound of Jongdae’s voice made it all worth it.

Junmyeon wasted no time wrapping Jongdae into a hug. “I thought I was so late you might have left.”

Jongdae chuckled against his shoulder. “I think I know you well enough now to expect this sort of thing. Don’t worry, I told you the wrong time on purpose, I wasn’t waiting long.”

Junmyeon let him go, no longer smiling. “Why are you so mean?”

“Because you’re so cute.” Jongdae said, without elaborating, even when Junmyeon asked him what that even meant. He simply started strolling towards the museum entrance and waited for Junmyeon to follow suit.

“Jongdae wait!” Junmyeon called to him, jogging to catch up.

Jongdae stopped.

“Thanks,” Junmyeon said brightly. There was no trace of his earlier irritation which was unusual, but the day was still young yet, and they had plenty of time for their usual back and forth. It was part of their relationship that they both found fun.

–

It had been Jongdae’s turn to plan this date and he had gone for a particularly meaningful location. He’d chosen an art museum for the sole purpose of knowing how happy it would make Junmyeon. Junmyeon _loved_ art. Art theory, art history, art preservation, he was an avid enthusiast of it all despite his rather poor artistic ability. He regularly visited museums of all sorts through his studies, and was currently doing his PhD in Art History. 

It also carried a second meaning. Only once, over the past year and a half that they’d been dating, had he and Junmyeon gone on a date to an art museum, despite Junmyeon’s love of art. At the time. Jongdae had been particularly miserable and disinterested due to stress, which it bled into their date and soured the mood. It had been their worst date and had nearly ended their budding relationship then and there. The knot of negative emotions surrounding that time made it difficult to bring the entire mess up at all–they collectively referred it to as The Great Disaster.

Ever since that one date, Jongdae had felt terrible about accidentally shutting something so important to him out of their relationship. Sure, they still talked about art–Jongdae might be studying business management but he wasn’t totally uncultured–but it still felt like there was something different.Today was his chance to right the wrong he’d done the person he loved most by taking him to one of his favourite museums, one he knew Junmyeon hadn’t visited in a long time and would enjoy rediscovering.

When Jongdae had told him his plans, he was met by a very speechless Junmyeon. He looked like he was warring between surprise, happiness, and confusion. Jongdae decided to give him a break and elaborated on why he was doing it. He had thought about making it a surprise, but that risked bringing up The Great Disaster, and neither of them needed that. It was supposed to be fun and healing. In the end, Junmyeon had been delighted by his suggestion and Jongdae settled the rest of their plans.

–

Once they were inside and Jongdae had shoved Junmyeon out of the way so he could pay for their admission fees, much to the amusement of the clerk, Junmyeon had picked up a Korean version of the museum map and stood there staring at it for a solid two minutes.

Normally, Jongdae would have commented around the first minute mark, but this was Junmyeon’s day and he was content to watch Junmyeon scan the floor maps with excitement. He did open his mouth a few times, presumably to voice his decision as to where they would go first, but he closed it promptly after, humming and furrowing his brow.

At four minutes, Jongdae’s patience was up. He gently pried the map from Junmyeon’s fingers.“Why don’t we start at the top and work our way down?” Jongdae suggested.

A small dimple embedded itself between Junmyeon’s brows as he considered Jongdae’s proposal. “I’m not sure that’s the suggested rou–”

Jongdae’s hand was around Junmyeon’s wrist before he could finish his sentence. The indecision that often clouded Junmyeon’s mind was something that Jongdae rarely ever attempted to influence or force because he preferred to let Junmyeon come to his own conclusion. At most, he’d ask pointed questions to hasten the progress, but today wasn’t a day he wanted to see him worry over needless things. Jongdae would take care of that.

When the elevator doors closed behind them, Jongdae released his grip on Junmyeon’s arm and pressed the button for the fifth floor. He straightened and returned to his spot beside Junmyeon to find the dimple between his brows coupled with a berry-coloured pout.

“Oh don’t pout, this way we can be sure to see everything _and_ avoid climbing stairs.”

Junmyeon’s eyes flicked down as he considered Jongdae’s reasoning. Jongdae knew he’d won, he had no need to see the reluctant purse to his lips to know. Happy Junmyeon was satisfied, Jongdae reached for Junmyeon’s hand, still chilly from the cold and twined their fingers together.

He wondered absentmindedly how artists ever managed to capture the electric way emotion was transferred through the simple act of holding hands. Could they distinguish between lovers, friends, family, things he’d rather not think of in the moment?

When the elevator doors opened, Junmyeon stepped forward in confidence, no trace of his earlier misgivings. With Junmyeon focused on the door to the first exhibit–a collection of the ancients, the oldest art they had–Jongdae allowed himself a smug smile. Of course, it melted into something softer once Junmyeon began to speak.

“I just finished a book on Greco-Roman art,” he told Jongdae once they were side-by-side again. “I just find the entire production of the sculptures fascinating right from how they’re trained to installment of statues. It’s not my area of study, I was terrible with archaeology, but they did set a lot of groundwork.”

Jongdae just smiled and listened as Junmyeon continued talking about the art, getting into specifics once they actually walked into a room full of art. Jongdae listened with interest, as he usually did whenever Junmyeon talked about art, simply because it was hard not to. The way Junmyeon’s face lit up like the sun as he explained things was more precious to Jongdae than he could ever explained. He could listen to him for hours and not get tired. That was one of many moments where he realized just how in love he was.

In this middle of his private lecture, Junmyeon squeezed Jongdae’s hand, dragging him from his thoughts. “Is it okay if I let go?”

Jongdae considered the request. Holding hands with Junmyeon was, to him, part of living art, or so he considered it. Their every touch comprised the most intimate sections of the collaborative performance art that was their relationship and he was loath to shift forms. He knew why Junmyeon wanted to let go; Junmyeon’s hand was curled around his phone in his pockets, eager to capture the art so he could take it with him and Jongdae wasn’t about to deny him that pleasure.

Jongdae decided the price of his surrender and answered, “Are you going to fill up your phone storage again only to spend hours deleting nearly every photo?”

Junmyeon didn’t look at him. “No, of course not.”

“Hmm,” was all Jongdae said. But he smiled and bumped their shoulders together before moving away so Junmyeon could take out his phone and struggle to photograph the art at just the right angle for it to be aesthetic. He worked so hard at it Jongdae had to fight a smile.

Junmyeon stared face to face with the handsome bust of what was presumably a Roman Emperor or Greek Philosopher of note–Jongdae had no idea, he didn’t read the description. Who it was didn’t matter in the slightest, not when Jongdae had a perfect view of two profiles alike in beauty but different in form.

Junmyeon’s jawline was as strong yet somehow soft and rounded as the bust he stared at. His nose was as straight and noble as that of the statue, beauty matched by someone of such note that, even thousands of years ago, someone had captured into marble and people since had let it survive unmarred by the flow of time.

“Don’t move,’ Jongdae said, hoping Junmyeon didn’t do what he usually did when Jongdae spoke those words and move. Junmyeon surprised him, staying as still as the busts he stood amongst, a place his visage deserved to be.

“Can I see?” Junmyeon asked once Jongdae lowered his phone.

“No.”

Junmyeon made for Jongdae’s phone, but Jongdae was ready this time and stepped out of his reach. “You’re only going to complain and make me take it over and over again. You look wonderful.”

“You always say that,” Junmyeon said, still reaching for the phone.

Jongdae placed a hand on Junmyeon’s chest, knowing he had to come up with something fast–his boyfriend was perhaps the most well sculpted art ho he knew, and he was no match in strength.

“I did take multiple pictures, I promise. I even took a live one in case it was shaky,” Jongdae said hastily.

Junmyeon relented and pouted his way into the next room. Jongdae pulled up his phone and snapped another photo of Junmyeon among the busts to join the many he’d taken as Junmyeon struggled against him. There was no way he was going to allow his living art to be anything but organic.

“If you’re going to be secretive about your pictures, can you at least take a picture of me with that mural on the next floor down. It goes with my look today.

“Of course,” Jongdae said without thinking, but when Junmyeon was actually standing in front of the wall a thought occurred to him.

“Did you wear that outfit specifically because of this mural?”

“No, I forgot it was even here.”

Jongdae raised an eyebrow in disbelief and Junmyeon caved easily. “I need to keep up my instagram trend. I have followers I need to please Jongdae. Even if you refuse to have anything more than a Linked-In account for potential employers, that doesn’t mean all of us have to forsake social media.”

“Fine, fine, pose for your photo-op,” Jongdae said, dismissively.

In truth, Jongdae loved helping Junmyeon with his instagram account. The secret photographer behind his success. That account was a part of his happiness and an ongoing work of art that they both took part in. It might not be incredibly artful photography, but coordinating outfits and scenery in such complementary ways took effort and a good eye. Junmyeon was plenty stubborn and his eye was great, so it was a natural fit for him.

This time, Jongdae let Junmyeon ask for re-takes as many times as he wanted until they got the perfect picture. He quickly uploaded it so they could check to see their friends’ reactions later and they moved on to the next exhibit.

–

“I’m hungry,” Jongdae whined, somewhere in between the European Renaissance and Rococo sections of the museum.

Junmyeon lowered his camera and turned from the painting that was somehow larger than the bathroom in Jongdae’s apartment. “Seriously?” he asked, his shoulders slouching forward.

Jongdae nodded. This was a game he was good at. There was no reason he couldn’t take advantage of his own speaking habits to get what he wanted, even if Junmyeon liked to think himself immune. When coupled with a pout, he could draw Junmyeon closer to agreeing.

“We can easily come back up to this part, it’s right beside the elevator. Please, I’m sure you’re hungry too.”

“Well–”

Jongdae walked up behind Junmyeon and wrapped his arms around him, resting his head on Junmyeon’s shoulder. “Please hyung, I’ll even pay for it all. It is my date after all.”

Junmyeon turned his head towards Jongdae, who shifted so he could see him. Junmyeon had one eyebrow raised in disbelief. “You do know how expensive museum cafeterias are, right? It’s why I always wait to eat somewhere else afterwards.”

“Hyung, it’ll take _forever_ to get through this museum, it’s the biggest one we’ve come to together. Besides, all of the restaurants nearby are small _artisanal_ places just as expensive as this one.”

“Did your homework, did you?” Junmyeon asked.

Jongdae was a fool, a smitten fool. He should have realized when Junmyeon hadn’t objected to his offer to pay. Junmyeon _always_ paid, even when Jongdae attempted to wrestle the card machine from his hands or sneak to the register with their receipt.

“Let’s just go get some food,” Jongdae said, grabbing Junmyeon by the hand and heading for the elevator.

Jongdae still wasn’t looking at Junmyeon once they were in the elevator, so he barely registered Junmyeon turning subtly in his direction. A split second later, Junmyeon’s lips we warm on his and he was blinking in surprise.

“You’re sweet, but your student-riddled ass it too important to me. I can’t let you go hungry paying for expensive dates with me. Backwards is far from the best way to bend,” Junmyeon whispered with their foreheads together.

Just like that, they were back in their original positions when the elevator doors opened to reveal the ground floor.

Jongdae had no words. He felt like a soft piece of paper, the very beginning of a watercolour painting. The warmth of Junmyeon’s lips, the softness of his love and affection, spread out in soft warm colours. The frustration at having lost once again emerging in frustrated red and maroon. Then there was the exasperation at his truly terrible joke, an overpowering, but muted, shade of green. Somehow it all worked though, every colour Junmyeon painted on the canvas that was Jongdae managed to come together into something Jongdae couldn’t help but love.

Junmyeon had managed to pay for their lunches but only under the condition that they would share the wide collection of food. That, of course, did not happen. What did happen was Junmyeon eating a small amount of the food and happily watching Jongdae consume the rest, stating, “I really do like watching you eat, you look so happy, it’s cute.”

Jongdae never understood why Junmyeon found his eating cute, especially when he ate so much in so little time, but he was too hungry to care.

–

The second of the afternoon went much the same as the first half. Junmyeon found another wall to stand in front of, but took off his glasses and borrowed Jongdae’s coat and hat to make it look as if they’d been taken the same day. He had also continued talking about the art, providing interesting background information and more photo material as they went.

Once they were done, they took the long train to Jongdae’s apartment. Junmyeon had spent most of the ride continuing his tirade about art, but eventually lost steam. He was like a child in the way he had wound down so suddenly after being excited for so long. His head fell down onto Jongdae’s shoulder and within minutes he was sound asleep.

Careful not to disturb him, Jongdae took one selfie of the two of them and sent it to the group chat for everyone to coo over. This was the kind of art he felt the need to share with everyone, the kind he was absolutely sure they would understand and appreciate. Not everyone was able to see that Junmyeon was art in all forms, whether it was obvious or not, but there were moments where he shone so bright it was too much for Jongdae alone.

Jongdae abhorred waking Junmyeon when they reached his station but consoled himself with the knowledge that he would get to see him asleep later that evening and the morning after.

Part of Jongdae’s date plan was to make dinner for the two of them, being the only one able to cook–it helped make up for the paid meals. He had a rather simple seafood pasta prepared for the two of them that he had been taught how to make by their mutual friend, Kyungsoo. So, while he went into the kitchen to start dinner, he let Junmyeon make himself at home.

Jongdae was just about to set the water to boil when he heard Junmyeon call his name from the living room. When he rounded the corner he found Junmyeon standing by the sofa, scrolling through Jongdae’s phone with an odd look on his face. He should have never changed the settings on his phone so that it took forever for it to lock again because he was tired of having to unlock it every five minutes; now his laziness was about to bite him in the ass.

“Hyung?” Jongdae asked tersely, making his presence known.

Junmyeon looked up, startled. “Oh, Jongdae, hi.”

At least he had the good grace to look guilty as soon as he saw how unimpressed Jongdae was.

“Why are you looking through my phone?”

Truth be told, Jongdae didn’t have much on his phone he didn’t want Junmyeon to see, save for a small selection of dick pics reserved for when they were apart that he hadn’t sent yet, but was particularly proud of. It was an unfortunate coincidence that the one thing he didn't want his boyfriend seeing was the one he'd come across first. Junmyeon wasn’t nearly red enough to have gone through the dick pics, so Jongdae was forced to assume it had something to do with the photos he’d taken at the museum. After one second of thinking about the implications of those photos, he felt heat rise to his ears and before he scrambled forward in a futile effort to get his phone back.

After a scuffle that lasted only a few seconds, Jongdae was trapped between Junmyeon’s legs, and encircled by Junmyeon’s arms of steel. It was a nice place to be, but not when Jongdae’s phone was on the other side of the sofa after having flown out of Jongdae's hand when he finally managed to retrieve it.

“Jongdae,” Junmyeon said with difficulty, trying to contain Jongdae despite his wriggling, “why are there five hundred photos of me at the museum, half of them don’t even have any art in them, just me looking at it.”

Jongdae ceased his struggle and deflated a bit. He let out a deep breath and wished Junmyeon could simply read his mind without him having to actually explain. He thought it obvious that, when one was at an art museum, it was only appropriate to appreciate the most awe inspiring work of art in the entire building. Junmyeon was fond of art, but he was a little clueless when it came to Jongdae's particular tastes.

Jongdae's face burned with embarrassment, but he managed to get the words out right. “Hyung, I hell bent on capturing every moment and every angle of the most breathtaking piece of art in that entire damn museum. It’s not my fault performance pieces are constantly changing and rarely stand still.”

Upon hearing Jongdae's words, Junmyeon relaxed his grip, allowing Jongdae to break free and spin around to sit on the coffee table so they were facing each other. It took one look at the confused mixture of embarrassment and exasperation warring Junmyeon's face to ebb Jongdae's mortification. His face split into a grin while watching Junmyeon process everything.

“Jongdae, that was so gross. Why do you even make fun of me when you’re like this?” Junmyeon groaned. One of his hands rose to cover the lower half of his face, but it couldn’t hide the faint smile lines around his eyes or the way his cheeks and ears began to go pink behind his glasses.

Jongdae cackled and gently pulled Junmyeon’s hand away from his face so he could see the poorly hidden smile. He carefully removed Junmyeon’s glasses too, folding them and placing them on the coffee table. Junmyeon only watched him, squinting hard, and made no move to stop him. Jongdae then rose and climbed into Junmyeon's lap with no protest, kneeling with his legs on either side of Junmyeon’s thighs so he could look down at his face and cup it with both of his hands.

Jongdae looked him in the eye, brushing his thumbs across Junmyeon's cheeks. “I can hardly appreciate true art if I don’t capture every moment of its brilliance. You’re cute when you’re looking at art, you're cute when you're mad, you’re cute when you do anything. You’re so stunning I could stare at you forever and never have enough, just like those Van Gogh paintings that you and so many other have loved for decades. You are living art that I can’t help but want for my own.”

He felt unbelievably cheesy–'gross' as Junmyeon had put it–and he wanted nothing more than to escape to his room and work through his mortification and/or need to break into a fit of laughter at how cringe-inducing his analogy had been. It was only the stupid grin on Junmyeon’s stupid face stopped him.

Instead of bolting, he lowered himself onto Junmyeon’s lap into a more comfortable position, relaxing his muscles. Junmyeon must of noticed because he felt Junmyeon's arms encircle his waist like clockwork. This too was part of Junmyeon's art and coincidentally the one Jongdae loved most; they had an ongoing collaborative piece together and frankly, he couldn't get enough of it.

Their next session began as soon as his lips met Junmyeon’s. Jongdae had never been particularly good at art, so he knew it was a kiss that couldn’t possibly convey just how much he loved the masterpiece in his arms; he had to work harder to get his point across.

He worshipped Junmyeon with his mouth, sucking at his pretty lips, licking into his mouth, kissing that perfect jaw, perfect neck–he did all that and more, but it never felt like it was enough to make him understand the depth of how he felt.

“You know,” Junmyeon said breathily, “they say it takes an artist to appreciate true art and, well, I’m no artist, but I’ve seen a lot of art and you’re not so bad yourself.”

“Not so bad, eh? Jongdae said, pausing over Junmyeon’s nape. "I dunno, I think I still have a lot to learn."

Junmyeon’s laugh rumbled through his chest. “What I mean is–” Junmyeon began before groaning in response to Jongdae’s ministrations, “–you’re one of a kind. I haven’t seen nearly enough to fully appreciate you.”

Jongdae raised his head to look at Junmyeon and burst into laughter, falling against Junmyeon when it became too much. Not long after, Junmyeon joined him and they sat there giggling together until they were finally able to catch their breaths.

“I think it’s safe to say we’re too cheesy for our own good,” Jongdae wheezed.

“I mean, I wouldn’t be opposed to open a cheese museum if you were the main exhibit,” Junmyeon said, his shoulders shaking with the effort it took to keep from laughing.

Jongdae rolled his eyes and leaned in. “Let’s just get back to the part of our collaboration piece that involves less talking,” he said, recapturing Junmyeon’s lips and smiling against them when Junmyeon hummed in agreement.

**Author's Note:**

> To Sarah, I'm so glad you liked it <3
> 
> ** My Twitter [daejakyu](https://twitter.com/daejakyu)  
> ** My [curious cat](https://curiouscat.me/daejakyu)


End file.
